Mont Ross

Location in Kerguelen

LocationKerguelen Islands, southern Indian Ocean FranceParent rangeGallieni MassifGeologyAge of rock66 million yearsMountain typeStratovolcanoLast eruption101BCEClimbingFirst ascent1975Easiest routeUnknown

Mont Ross is a stratovolcano, the highest mountain in the Kerguelen Islands at 1,850 metres (6,070 ft). It is located in the Gallieni Massif, at the end of the Gallieni Peninsula, east of Baie Larose on the main island of Grande Terre.^[2] The volcano is composed primarily of trachybasalt and was active during the late Pleistocene. Eruptives have been dated between 2 million years to 100,000 years old.^[3]^: 2

History

Mont Ross was named after explorer Sir James Clark Ross. The first human being to set foot on its summit was French military engineer Henri Journoud, using a helicopter, in the early 1960s. The mountain was, however, first climbed in 1975 by Jean Afanassieff and Patrick Cordier, and is the last French mountain to be climbed.

Photos

The southern part of the Kerguelen Islands, with Mont Ross at right (white spot, top of image is north) and on the left, the Glacier Cook (white spot) and the Peninsula Rallier du Baty.
Mont Ross in December 2013 (austral summer) shoot from the French research and supply vessel Marion Dufresne

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Australia, New Zealand, Oceania Ultra-Prominence Page" Peaklist.org. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
^ "Massif Gallieni". Mapcarta. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
^ Weis, D; Frey, FA; Schlich, R; Schaming, M; Montigny, R; Damasceno, D; Mattielli, N; Nicolaysen, KE; Scoates, JS (2002). "Trace of the Kerguelen mantle plume: Evidence from seamounts between the Kerguelen Archipelago and Heard Island, Indian Ocean". Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 3 (6): 1–27. doi:10.1029/2001GC000251. hdl:2429/39106. ISSN 1525-2027.